Money to fix Loop Road could be on the way

Congressman Greg Walden is continuing his push to secure federal money to rebuild the flood-damaged Wallowa Mountain Loop Road, and to help Baker County farmers and ranchers fix irrigation networks.

In response to a letter and phone calls from Walden, a Republican who represents Eastern Oregon, officials from the Federal Highway Administration visited the Loop Road on Thursday with U.S. Forest Service representatives.

The Federal Highway Administration officials will help the Forest Service, which manages the Loop Road, to apply for repair money through the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program.

The Forest Service last year allocated as much as $5 million to repave and make other improvements to a 13-mile section of the Loop Road that includes the 500-foot section that was obliterated by North Pine Creek earlier this month.

But Walden said the Forest Service will need another source of money to repair the flood damage.

 “We haven’t gotten a dollar figure yet on the cost of repairs to Loop Road, but it looks very good that they will get whatever is needed to make the repairs as quickly as possible,” Walden said. “It looks like the Federal Highway Administration will be the source of the funding.”

He said federal highway officials and Forest Service officials are working to put together cost assessments for the repairs and could be making an announcement any day about providing funding to repair the Loop Road.

The road, which is part of the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, one of Oregon’s four All-American Roads, is an important link for tourists traveling between Baker and Wallowa counties.

The Loop Road wasn’t the only local route damaged during the county’s worst flooding in more than a quarter century.

Steve Ellis, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest supervisor, said owners of private property and cabins are also concerned about flood-caused closures of sections of the Eagle Creek Road (Forest Road 77) and East Eagle Creek Road (Forest Road 7745).

Ellis said crews are working on a temporary route that would allow private landowners access to their properties.

“The Forest Service is hopeful that they will have a temporary route for full-sized vehicles open in the next few days,” said Wade Foster, Walden’s representative for Eastern Oregon, based in La Grande.